Origins of Video Art Response

The article, "The Origins of Video Art," focused on the specific period between 1960 and 1990's. In this time period the development in technology was drastic to the point where early cameras in the '60s were very expensive, grainy and only shot in black and white. Later on towards the '80s, cameras became much more available and were reproduced in better quality, as well as in color. Because of the availability, artists were then easily able to use cameras as a new medium. One of the big things that the article pointed out was the fact that video, unlike other artwork, had to be successful in its time otherwise it would not be preserved. This must have been especially difficult considering that with most art, people tend to appreciate it later, after the artist is dead, such as with the rt of Van Gogh. Artists then had to keep up to date with modern technology and try to keep their subject matter relevant to the times to gain more interest and attention. Two artists that did well in the battle for survival were Paik and Vostell who started the "Fluxus" movement that went against established art and created blurred lines between at mediums, creating mixed media works. They went against the system in the '70s to introduce video as a performance medium and take it out of the domestic scene. I found this interesting video clip from Paik's "The Medium is the Medium" that shows how video could be used for art and performance using digital art as well as overlaying video clips like a photo collage. Although it is different from domestic television and doesn't tell a story, it is sill entertaining to watch, which allowed it to survive its time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIBEaszndLA